Fire Adapted

Santa Clara County

All the Wildfire News You Can Use!

November 2023

From Seth Schalet, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council CEO

A November to Remember

A new month, a new Newsletter. November brings the start of the year-end holiday season, and it also brings—usually—the start of the rainy season here in Northern California. The FireSafe team has made great strides with their hazardous fuels reduction (HFR) projects, and we hope to end the year on a high note in terms of acreage completed for all our various fuels reduction programs.

As of this writing, we have submitted two new grants. The second round of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) and a new Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (FACnet) grant. Next up are the two new CAL FIRE sponsored grant opportunities: the Forest Health Grant and the Wildfire Prevention Grant. Both are due in early January 2024, and we will work with select partners to join us in these endeavors.

This Newsletter has several excellent articles on wildfire and wildfire research from various sources. With the five-year anniversary of the Paradise wildfire on November 8th, let's take a moment to reflect on those that lost their lives, those still struggling with the myriad of challenges the fire left in its wake and remember, wildfire knows no boundaries, no political affiliation. We are all in this together and why the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council exists—to mobilize the people of Santa Clara County to protect their homes, communities and environment from wildfires.

Also, I hope you can join us over Zoom for our November 21^st board meeting. This month’s guest speaker is my friend, Natasha Stavros. Natasha’s presentation will focus on her forthcoming book: Fuel the Change: Transform broken systems like you have the authority to do so. Her talk will focus on her experience navigating the man's world of fire science at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory." Bio: Dr. Natasha Stavros is the Founder of WKID Solutions, LLC. She is focused on solutions science in the information age. She has a B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science, an MS in Environmental Sustainability, and a Ph.D. in Quantitative Fire Ecology with a focus on Megafires and Climate. She uses system engineering with applications to climate, fire, and complex systems science and is particularly interested in technology development design with adoption and use in mind from the start to inform more resilient futures.

Without further ado, let’s hear from the team about what they have been doing of late. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Seth Schalet

CEO, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

Chipping Program

Fall Chipping Event!

After 5 weeks of chipping throughout the county, the 2023 Fall County Chipping program is wrapping up this week. We are happy to have serviced over 150 properties and removed thousands of cubic yards of fuel from the ground.

We look forward to beginning planning for our traditional spring chipping for the following year.

Tree of the Month

Douglas-fir

(Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Mature douglas-fir trees have that thick corky bark that protects the cambium layer of the tree. The cambium layer of the tree is the part that produces new bark and new wood allowing the Douglas-fir to be somewhat of a fire-resistant species and can survive moderately intense fires. Learn More

Employee Spotlight

Andrea Constantine

"I'm a recent addition to the FireSafe Council as a Community Outreach and Education Coordinator. I assist our team and our partners, specifically Los Altos Hills County Fire District, in education events, community emergency response teams, Firewise USA community work, resident communications and I help support local wildfire resilience initiatives. When I’m not working I love going on adventures with my family. I am an avid skier, love Disneyland and to travel. One my most memorable recent adventures was to see the lava flowing on the Big Island at Hawaii Volcanos National Park."

Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative Forest Health Grant Update

During the month of October, crews treated 44 acres of vegetation in Santa Clara County Parks properties. Generally warm, dry weather has been favorable for vegetation treatments. Coordination with Parks has been important since there is significant recreation use in and near some of these areas. Thank you to everyone for their patience during trail closures. We are also planning on working near Elsman Reservoir on SJW properties toward the end of November and December. Learn More

Before and after photos by Dave Manson on Charcoal Road.

East Dunne Ave.

Escape Route Project Update

New proposed start date is 11/27 pending approval of the CEQA.

Contractor tours were last Thursday and Friday. Bids were due Friday by 5:00pm. Already received a few bids.

Still do not have approved CEQA from CAL FIRE.

We have finally received a Use Permit from County Parks.

There is signage at the beginning and end of the project to notify the community of the upcoming project. Learn More

Magdalena Summerhill Evacuation Route Project Update

The Magdalena Summerhill Evacuation Route in Los Altos Hills was a success and completed in 3 days, 2 days earlier than anticipated with no incidents. We removed understory brush and added adequate spacing to maintain the resilience and beauty of the landscape. Before and after photos below. Learn More

DCF92E27-6FF2-4334-BF94-D4A5F348B2E2 image

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Robleda-Burke Evacuation Route

Project Update

The Robleda-Burke Evacuation Route in Los Altos Hills is set to start November 27^thand will be completed by December 6th. Traffic control will be in place with one lane being operational, and one lane will close for vegetation management work as crews proceed through the project area.

Please join the virtual meeting Wednesday, November 8^th at 7:00pm where you can learn about the project and have your questions answered. Learn More

Santa Clara County Fire

Upcoming Events

Crime Prevention & Home Fire Safety
Wednesday, November 8^th -- 11:00am - 12:30pm
In-Person - Los Altos Community Center - Free
Fire Safety for Young Children - Come Learn with Us!
Tuesday, November 14^th -- 3:30 - 4:30pm
Online - Free

Learn More

Our CEO, Seth Schalet - In the Field

I would like to thank Thomas Chin, the City of Cupertino’s Emergency Manager for inviting Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, San Jose Water and N5 Sensors to present on our wildfire sensors installation at their October 19, 2023 Public Safety Forum. You can find a link to our presentation here.

Seth will be a guest presenter at Stanford University's Wildland Fire Seminar Series, Autumn Quarter 2023-24 on Tuesday November 14^th. He will present a webinar titled, Nonprofits and Wildfire. The Evolution of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council: From Hazardous Fuels Reduction to Technology Leader. See more info here: https://west.stanford.edu/events/wildland-fire-seminar-series

Articles of Interest

'We have come so far': Five years after California's historic Camp Fire killed 85, Paradise moves ahead with a goal to build a fireproof town - The Mercury News

What Happened When California Chose to Rebuild a Town Devastated by Wildfire - The New York Times

The Deadly Maui Inferno, Hour by Hour - The New York Times

Unmasking Wildfire Risk: Navigating Insurance Challenges and Community Solutions

Wildfires become catastrophes when they enter our communities and a built environment conflagration unfolds. As our built environment continues to push into areas that were wildlands with fire as vital part of their ecosystems, an estimated 45 million residential buildings are now in high-risk wildfire areas across the United States. This study examines the wildfire readiness across the Western United States at both the state and county level.

A few key takeaways:

Few states and counties with the greatest risk of wildfire disasters are using sound regulatory approaches backed up by consistent enforcement. Outside of California and Utah, there are no enforced, statewide codes addressing wildfire exposures to residential and commercial property; code use and enforcement at the local level remains limited.
The separation of wildfire safety elements from traditional building codes and the absence of clear guidance on how such elements can be integrated into building codes has resulted in limited use by state and local officials.
A few local jurisdictions have taken proactive approaches across a range of wildfire safety concerns, but they stand in sharp counterpoint to the majority of counties and local communities that largely fail to address wildfire risks to life and property in a comprehensive manner.

Read the full report for more insights!

CWPP Hub Site

Living With Wildfire Research Report

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Donate to Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

SCCFSC is a 501(c) non-profit organization that relies on funding from local partners and residents of the wildland-urban interface areas. While federal and state grants provide a significant amount of support for ongoing projects, donations from the local community is crucial to our success.The SCCFSC appreciates every donation, large or small. When you donate to Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, you are helping us and yourself by mobilizing the people of Santa Clara County to protect their homes, communities and environment from wildfires.